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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners calls a play from the sidelines in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Head of the class

Brendan Radley-Hiles | DB | Las Vegas, Nevada | IMG Academy

Oklahoma signed several highly-touted players in the 2018 class, but do-it-all defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles is at the top of the list. He’s a 247Sports composite 4-star, but a 5-star prospect according to Rivals -- the first 5-star defensive back to choose Oklahoma in Rivals history. He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but he has a penchant for making plays and will be able to contribute to Oklahoma’s secondary immediately in 2018.

Diamond in the rough

Brayden Willis | TE | Arlington, Texas | James Martin

A very late addition to Oklahoma’s 2018 class, tight end Brayden Willis is a strong candidate to be a diamond in the rough for the Sooners. He seemed to be headed to a G5 program before Lincoln Riley and new tight ends coach Shane Beamer offered him on Jan. 21. He committed eight days later -- without seeing the campus yet -- and the rest is history. Oklahoma has only one other true tight end on the roster -- sophomore Grant Calcaterra -- so Willis could see early playing time next season.

Biggest need met: Defensive line

Oklahoma has played in two College Football Playoff games over the past two seasons, and lost in the trenches both times. Against Clemson in 2015, the Sooners were dominated on both fronts as the game went along. The offensive line held its own for most of the Rose Bowl against Georgia, but OU’s defensive line failed to get any pressure on Jake Fromm and the Bulldogs. Without question, Oklahoma’s biggest need if it wants to compete for national championships is along the defensive line. Consider that need met. Oklahoma added four 4-star defensive linemen -- Ronnie Perkins, Michael Thompson, Ron Tatum and Jalen Redmond -- in this class plus one 3-star defensive tackle (Jordan Kelley). It’s the kind of class that will help re-establish Oklahoma in the trenches on the national stage, not just in the Big 12.

Biggest need not addressed: Safety

Oklahoma brought in five defensive backs in this class, but failed to haul in an elite safety. Delarrin Turner-Yell and Patrick Fields are two solid players, but their ability to contribute as starters in 2018 is in question. With the Sooners losing Steven Parker and Will Johnson to graduation, getting an elite safety for depth, or even starting potential, would have been ideal. But OU whiffed on both big-time safety targets in this class, seeing in-state 4-star Josh Proctor head to Ohio State and Leon O’Neal head to Texas A&M. Brendan Radley-Hiles and Miguel Edwards will be candidates to move to safety in the offseason, but signing a true elite player at that position would have been preferred.

Overall class grade: B+

This isn’t a perfect class for Oklahoma, but it’s pretty close. There aren’t any significant holes, and it’s set to be OU’s second consecutive top-10 class. At least a small handful of players on each side of the ball will be able to contribute in 2018, and will likely be big upgrades over what the Sooners already have in the program. It’s a class built in the trenches, with almost a third of the class being 4-star offensive or defensive linemen. But between Radley-Hiles, T.J. Pledger and Jaquayln Crawford, there’s a fair amount of flash, too.